Bruins 3, Rangers 2
BOSTON -- Black Friday turned into Black and Gold Friday in the third period as the Boston Bruins scored twice to pull out a 3-2 decision over the New York Rangers.
Center Patrice Bergeron and defenseman Zdeno Chara beat goalie Henrik Lundqvist in the first 8:55 of the final period as the Bruins rebounded from Wednesday night's 6-1 loss to the Red Wings in Detroit by dominating the second and third periods.
Chara, who scored his sixth goal of the year at 8:55, also had an assist and a fight, giving him a "Gordie Howe hat trick." Left winger Brad Marchand also had a goal and an assist for his first multi-point game of the season.
Tuukka Rask, who allowed all six goals in Detroit, gave up first-period goals to left winger Rick Nash (his third of the year) and defenseman Ryan McDonagh 1:22 apart in the first period, made just 17 saves for the win.
Marchand scored his fourth of the season and Bergeron his seventh against Lundqvist, as the Rangers finished 3-2 on a five-game road trip. New York has won seven of its last nine road games.
Lundqvist made 25 saves.
The win was the second this month for the Bruins over the Rangers, a team they eliminated in five games in last season's Eastern Conference semifinal.
The Bruins, 8-0-2 in their last 10 home games, tied the game 1:35 into the third period when Marchand, rushing against center Brad Richards with McDonagh caught, set Bergeron up in the slot. Lundqvist made the save but the puck then hit off his own defenseman, Dan Girardi, who was tied up with right winger Loui Eriksson, and into the net.
After coming close on a couple of chances, including Chara hitting the post on a deflection, the Bruins went ahead 11:42 into the first period when Chara hit Marchand with a cross-ice pass and Marchand scored his first goal in seven games.
The lead would be short-lived.
Nash, scoring for the second straight game, used his reach to from behind the net and swoop out front before beating Rask. Then, 82 seconds later, McDonagh took a pass from center Derick Bressard and beat a screened Rask. Left winger Benoit Pouliot, a former Bruins, did the screening and was originally credited with the goal but the scoring was changed.
The two goals made it eight allowed by the Bruins in the last four periods.
The game got chippy in the second period, with New York center Brian Boyle deciding to fight Chara, the latter dropping him twice and flinging him around like a rag doll.
NOTES: The one-goal win kept the Bruins from playing in a club-record fifth straight overtime home game. ... D Dennis Seidenberg returned to the Boston lineup after missing four games with a lower body injury. D Kevan Miller, who played three games with the Bruins, was returned to Providence. ... New York RW Derek Dorsett, who missed Wednesday night's game with a wrist injury, was a game-time decision and was scratched in favor of Taylor Pyatt. The Rangers also sat D Michael Del Zotto, his sixth healthy scratch of the season. ... While the Bruins host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night, the Rangers have a home matinee against the Vancouver Canucks, with former Rangers coach John Tortorella returning to New York for the first time since his firing. Tortorella and current Rangers coach Alain Vigneault traded places after last season. ... Bruins C Gregory Campbell purchased and delivered $2,000 worth of holiday pies to local shelters on Thanksgiving.
